Saturday, March 26, 2022

Review: Secret Lab Titan Evo 2022 vs ErgoTune Supreme chair

 



Secret Lab Titan Evo 2022 S$649 vs ErgoTune Supreme chair S$599
Which is a better buy???





Based on the front and side view, you should be able to spot that Secret Lab Titan Evo 2022 (Regular) is bigger in size compare to ErgoTune Supreme.


Secret Lab Titan Evo 2022 (Regular) recommend for 170-189cm and weight less than 100kg while
ErgoTune Supreme recommend for 150-180cm and weight less than 130kg, despite the chair is smaller in size.

Secret Lab Titan Evo 2022 offer 5 years extended warranty while ErgoTune Supreme offer 12 years extended warranty if you post a photo of their chair in our social media account.







Secret Lab logo can be spotted in the front and back of the chair and its is big and loud while ErgoTune logo is not visible from backview.

Due to the different in material and the shape, you wont be able to feel any wind coming from the back when seated in Secret Lab chair. If you sweat easily or plan to sit in non-aircon environment, ErgoTune chair will be a better option.










I prefer the headrest of ErgoTune Supreme as it is more comfortable. Guess the 4 axes of adjustments feature really work :)

Secret Lab headrest is using magnetic to stay in position. Appearance wise, you don't see the ugly strap for headrest and can adjust the position more freely. Material wise, it is memory foam pillow with cooling gel. If you had tried / using memory foam pillow on your bed, then you might feel comfortable with this.




Secret Lab lumbar knob definitely look premium compare to ErgoTune knob which look basic (cheapo for the chair price). It is good that for both chair, you can adjust to best suit your spine. So comfort wise, both are on par




Secret Lab gas hydraulics look nicer too as Ergotune gas hydraulics look very common and normal to all other brands. It seem Ergotune gas hydraulics is using a better quality since it can support up to 130kg while Secret Lab can support up to 100kg only (Unless you purchase their XL size chair).




Secret Lab had upgraded their 2022 version of armrest to be swappable. As it is using magnetic, thus can swap it out within seconds whereas Ergotune using traditional screws. 

Comfort wise, both chair armrest feel similar. 



Secret Lab look definitely is more premium once again compare to very traditional look in ErgoTune.



As Ergotune seatbase is open, regular wipe is required else dust will accumulate inside the seatbase very soon.





The wheelbase of SecretLab (Above) is shorter at 31cm and thicker vs ErgoTune (bottom) which is longer at 32cm but thinner. 






Once of the most common complain about Secret Lab chair is the leather skin will peel after 1yr+ of usage. This is super annoying as the chair is not cheap too considering the price. It is good that Secret Lab now offer 5 yrs peel protection guarantee for a better peace of mind. 

Whereas for ErgoTune DuraWeave, they mention it is built to maintain it's shape even after years.


Well, it is too early to tell for both brands and we will know in few years time.






One thing which I like about Secret Lab is they have this trade in program. Although the trade in amount is not high, but I feel it is a reasonable trade in value. New features will keep coming out and improve on the chair comfort level, thus we would also like to buy a new chairs after years of usage. This trade in program also save time and effort to sell off existing chair in Carousell. 

I dont think ErgoTune have any trade in program for their chair at this moment.





In term of comfort level, both chair are quite on par.
In term of appearance, Secret Lab do give a premium look compare to ErgoTune.
Since the price point of both chair are close (Secret Lab Titan Evo 2022 S$649 vs ErgoTune Supreme chair S$599), the decision factor of which chair to buy will depend on the environment.

If I am using in aircon environment, I will go with Secret Lab Titan Evo 2022 S$649.
If I am using in non-aircon environment, I will go with ErgoTune Supreme chair S$599.




Sunday, March 20, 2022

Unboxing: Secret Labs Titan Evo 2022 vs ErgoTune Supreme chair





Both Secret Lab and Ergotune cost additional S$29 if you opt for their assembly services.




In term of number of steps require to assembly your chair, Secret Lab required 15 while Ergotune just need 6.




Although Secret Lab required more steps than Ergotune during assembly, the instructions clarity is very detailed unlike Ergotune where I will get stuck in some steps still.

I took roughly 30 mins to setup my Secret Lab chair vs 25 mins to setup my Ergotune chair. 

Secret Lab chair is bigger and heavier than Ergotune, thus based on 1 man effort, Ergotune is easier. As Secret Lab also uses higher quality and thicker packaging material, that contribute to the strength required too.

I did blog about regret not paying $29 for Secret lab assembly service here. I dont require for Ergotune assembly service if you ask me.





In term of eye candy, I think Secret Lab won hand down as Ergotune is having a simple and plain box look.




Beside the outer box look, Secret Lab also have a better look and feel when first open the box.




Secret Lab really put alot of effort and thoughts in their packaging. 

The carton box is thick and heavy, which I believe their 5 feet drop test is genuine while Ergotune is using those normal carton box which you usually received.

Secret Lab wrap their part items in thick, clear, see through plastic while Ergotune use those cheap and thin wrap.



Secret Lab tools box are packaged elegant (cost $25 kind) while Ergotune pack it as those you are buying it in your neighbour hardware store (cost $1 kind).

Not sure why Ergotune nail screw have blue dye on them too. 




I am quite surprise that Ergotune won this user manual category to be honest. 

The colour Ergotune used and beside on the usual product guide, Ergotune even add in a guide regard to correct sitting posture which added value to their customer.



Secret Lab won 4 vs 3 Ergotune in my unboxing 8 categories (1 of the category is a tie).


I will write another review on the comfort, design and build experience after using it for next few days.

Stay tune ;) 

Update: Review: Secret Lab Titan Evo 2022 vs ErgoTune Supreme chair


Related post:

Review: Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni Vacuum Mop (The most advance and best for busy / lazy people in 2022)







Pros:
+++ Ability to add detergent into water tank
+++ Auto water refill with large water tank
+++ 2 x Rotating mops
+++ Auto Wash mop feature
+++ Hot air drying mop feature
+++ Auto empty dustbin
+++ Premium design look
+++ AI Camera obstacle avoidance
+++ In built AI Voice control
    +  5000Pa Suction Power


Cons:
--- Price (~SGD1,600)
 -- On-going accessories cost
 -- No on/off switch for the Omni station
 -- Hidden on/off switch under the robot cover

You can view my unboxing photos in my previous post here




Ecovacs launched Deebot X1 Omni in Singapore on 15 March 2022.


https://www.ecovacs.com/id/deebot-robotic-vacuum-cleaner/DEEBOT-X1-OMNI








All in one OMNI station
57cm (H) x 45cm (L) x 43cm (W)

My first reaction of the OMNI station was HUGE.
Standing tall at 57cm, with a length of 45cm and width of 43cm.


However, if we look at the components inside the OMNI station, it is very well designed to make use of every inch smartly. 



Another shock is the size of the 2 x water tanks (Clean & Dirty) once you open up the top cover.


  
Clean (R) and Dirty (L) Water tank



The measurement of each tank is 26cm (H) x 16cm (L) x 13cm (W).
It can hold 4L of water in each tank.
Based on my 4room BTO HDB 92m square, I will need to fill up my clean water tank once every 4 days.


Most importantly, you are able to add Ecovacs detergent solution into the water tank. Only very limited robot model is able to do so at this moment. 


Composition: Ethoxylated alcohol, Hexylene glycol, Hydantoin, Synthetic perfume, Dye, Water


In between the 2 water tanks, there is a slim tray which you can pull out to store these items.








Beside auto cleaning of mop, it have a HOT AIR DRYING feature too.


The auto cleaning of mop & water refill produce ~55dB sound level (which is not too loud) and complete the process in around 30 secs.


In case you are wondering how loud or soft is 55dB, you can reference to the below chart.




I can barely hear any sound during the hot air drying process. 


You can select 2hours / 3 hours / 4hours hot air drying duration to auto activate once the cleaning is completed.
You can also select how frequent the robot will return to dock to clean your mop.
This is one of the best feature as you wouldn't want to use the same mop throughout your whole house without cleaning it.





Mop material quality is good. 
There is no water marks left on the floor and I can see the reflection clearly on my floor tiles.



This is how the bottom of the OMNI station look like where X1 robot will be docking into.

X1 robot docking OMNI station area

  



Most robot dock will have the auto-empty function. So I wont go into this as this is very common.

The auto empty produce ~62dB sound level and complete the process in around 10 secs.







This rotating mopping feature is one of my top reason why I choose to buy Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni.

Early days robot all started with a simple mop cloth stick underneath the back of the robot. Even though some robot have the Y mopping feature, the floor is still ok (not sticky). 
But it is still like stick a wet cloth underneath and drag around the whole house kind of concept.

Then we start to see vibrating mop plate which provide some scrubbing kind of effect. This is definitely better than the previous gen.

Ultimately, I still believe rotating mopping feature is the best among the 3 options, especially if you young children or pets at home.


X1 robot mop uses magnetic connector to attach the mop to the robot.
This provide some premium feeling to me.

The 5000Pa suction power to me is more of marketing
I believe 2000+Pa suction power is sufficient for normal home.

There are 4 vacuum power options for you to choose: Quiet, Standard, Max and Max+
Quiet produce ~52dB, Standard ~53dB, Max ~58dB and Max+ 63dB
Personally, I cant tolerate the noise level produced when using Max and Max+.






X1 robot did not have any much hard bump for the past few days and is good at navigating around the obstacle or furniture related legs/stands.



I did not set any virtual wall / no-go zone in below video and X1 robot manage to navigate around the ledges of the thin cloth.






The design of the X1 robot is indeed premium looking.
The top cover is attached to the body via magnetic connector.

However, there is 2 thing which I dislike is the on/off red switch of the robot is hidden under the cover and the OMNI docking station does not have a on/off switch.
I do aware some people will not get affected by this as they leave their robot on 24x7. I do have the habit of switching off my robot and docking station after their job is done. Mainly because I only need them to vacuum and mop only once a day and to preserve their battery life. Therefore, why leave it on 24hours a day when they are only required to be awake max 3 hours a day.












Due to space constraints, I have to put this beautiful appliance in my service yard. 



The X1 robot also do not face any difficulty docking itself back to the OMNI station even though I do not follow the recommended space required.






X1 robot have built in AI voice control technology.
This allow non smart home to be able to use voice command to give instruction too.
Robot in the past required another node (eg: Google Nest Hub 2) as the brain to get and pass instruction. 

I had a few tries via YIKO and seem to work well.
YIKO is able to understand my voice and executed correct on "Start cleaning", "Pause task", "Clean living room", "Return to base", "Volume down", "Volume up" and etc. 
I am impress given that Ecovacs is a China company and I am using English instead of Mandarin to YIKO.



After using X1 for a few days, I would say money well spent and I have no regret for lazy people like me that need to outsource these tasks.
Although the price SGD1600 is at the top range for vacuum mop robot, but looking at the features + design + user experience, I would say the objective and outcome have exceeded expectation.